I’ve been battling a chest cold the past few days and basically living off of Thera-flu, Emergen-C and cough drops. My nose is red, my throat is scratchy, and I feel like I have a ten pound weight on my chest. Normally, I would saddle up with a bowl of chicken soup and call it a day but I’m trying to be more mindful about our meat consumption… which has been basically every single day since we ended our detox. Oops. So now that we made up for lost time, I’m back to trying to incorporate more plant based meals into our lives. It’s a constant battle, an ebb and flow. I know that there will be phases in our lives where we are better than others – it’s just finding that balance.

So I knew I wanted to do a vegetable soup but just veggies in broth is boring and we did a lot of my favorite veggie soups over the detox so I was itching for something new. This Spicy Thai Vegetable Soup sounded up my alley. And spice helps clear at your sinuses, right? Win. I cheated and used pre-made red chile paste but I liked that the recipe had you make your own. But I’m sick. And lazy. So out of a jar it is!

Spicy Thai Vegetable Soup

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbls red chile paste

1 tsp red miso paste

1/2 tsp minced ginger

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 turnip, chopped

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 block firm tofu, diced

1 cup coarsely chopped arugula

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Bring broth to a boil in saucepan over high heat. Stir in soy sauce, chile paste, miso paste, and ginger. Add turnip and mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in arugula, mint, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, or until herbs wilt.

Hi Leah! i’m new to your blog, I love your recipes! This soup looks great! I’ve had a horrible cold too and the thought of another bowl of chicken noodle soup is not too appealing… this thai veggie soup sounds like the perfect answer! Yum!